Mary Anne on Music Awards
by Elizabeth8289
Summary: Three more weeks until the music awards! Mary Anne can hardly wait to do so with Cam Geary! She knows she's going to have a fun time.
1. The Hurricane is Coming

The Baby-Sitters Club is NOT mine: it belongs to beloved Ann M. Martin. Thank you!

It was three weeks before the music awards in August! I am so excited. I'll be with my favorite movie star, Cam Geary, whom I've been singing with since May. I'm Mary Anne Spier and I'm thirteen going on fourteen. I just graduated from Stoneybrook Middle School- here in Stoneybrook, Connecticut. I'll be starting Stoneybrook High School and I'm a bit nervous about it. I'm shy around people. I just hope I'd do just fine in high school. Wait- I knew I'd do okay since I get good grades plus I'm glad I'd be with my good friends- including my stepsister.

I live with my dad, stepfamily, and two adopted siblings. I grew up on Bradford Court until recently. See, my mom died long time ago-I don't remember her- and Dad raised me all by himself. Dad just got remarried this past year to his old high school girlfriend, Sharon Schafer. She had just got divorced and moved back here, all the way from California with her two kids, Dawn and Jeff. Her maiden name was Porter. Jeff moved back to California to live with his dad. Dawn is not only my stepsister, she's also my best friend. I love her as my sister.

My two adopted siblings are Carlos Peters and Meredith Sousa. Carlos lost his family when he was about eight. Both of his parents and nine-year-old sister died in a car crash not long after his eleven-year-old brother passed on because of scarlet fever. Carlos' room was an old attic.

Meredith was an exchange student from London, England. Her mom and sister died when a tour bus blew a few months ago, which is how her dad was killed a few years back. She took it pretty hard. We share my room and enjoy that.

Dad's a lawyer. He's on a business trip in Georgia and would return next week. I've been missing him a lot. He works in Stamford and travels every now & then. We do everything and go everywhere together often, in what we called a father-daughter day.

I just had dinner when the phone rang as I answered.

"Hello," I said curiously.

"Hi, honey," answered Dad.

"Oh, hi, Dad, what's up?" I asked.

"Another boring meeting just ended. Thank goodness the trip is all done. I can't wait to come home," replied Dad.

"Me either," I smiled. "We just had Chinese for dinner."

Dad calls us and we would alternate calling him & he just loves to hear our voices especially mine.

"I might come home before Hurricane Andy hits Georgia this week," said Dad.

"That's good to hear," I said.

"I know," agreed Dad. "Is Sharon around so I can talk to her for a bit?"

"Sure, hold on," I replied as I bought the phone to her. "Dad's on the phone. He just wants to chat with you for a bit."

"Okay," said my stepmother.

I'm glad he was coming home early before Hurricane Andy arrives in Georgia because I don't want him to get hurt or something. Am I worried about that? Sort of.

Two hours later, I was tired and went to bed. In the middle of the night, I was tossing and turning as the dream started.

_Hurricane Andy had just started in Georgia while Dad was at his last meeting and when it hit the place, it blew almost everyone away it didn't end until later on that evening. That was when they noticed Dad must if got blown away. They couldn't find him anywhere yet and when his boss, Randy, wrote us the letter to us and I read, I was terrified and started crying as I fled up to my room._

_Later, I found Dad was found dead, I got upset even more. They found him near a tree and noticed he hit his head on it. He was pronounced dead at the scene. I was crying again when Randy called to tell me the news when I was the one who answered the phone as the dream ended._

I was still tossing and turning. That was when I woke up shouting and sat up in bed as I started sobbing.

Sharon came in and went to me as she said, "It's okay, Mary Anne. You had a nightmare."

I hugged her while I was still crying.

"It'll be alright, dear," said Sharon comforting me.

"I'm just starting to get worried about what would happen to Dad if the hurricane starts early," I replied wiping my tears.

"Honey, there's nothing to worry about. I'm sure he'll be home safe and sound," Sharon murmured.

"I just hope so. I don't want anything happen to him, that's all I'm worrying about," I said while I kept crying.

"It'll be okay," said my stepmother.

Three hours later, I had that dream again as I was calling out.

"No, no. Dad!" I called out. "No, no."

Meredith heard me as she turned noticing and said, "Mary Anne."

"No, no. Dad! No, no," I continued while Meredith got up and sat next to me. "Dad! No, no."

"Mary Anne, it's okay," said Meredith as I woke up. "You were having another bad dream."

"I'm still worried about Dad if he's not home in time before the hurricane," I said.

"It's going to be alright," said Meredith.

The next day, I came down with a flu at lunchtime. I knew because I had a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit, I was nauseous, and a headache. I was on the couch resting. Carlos and Meredith had already left to be with their friends by then.

"Dawn and I are going to be with my folks for the afternoon to let you rest," Sharon told me.

"Sounds good. Before you leave, can you please get me extra blankets? I'm cold and hot at the same time," I said.

"Sure," said Sharon as she went to get one and put it on top of the other I had.

"Thanks," I said.

I was resting sitting up in case I threw up afterwards. Dawn and Sharon left to be with Granny and Pop-Pop. I fell asleep two minutes later. I don't know how long I was asleep because I didn't hear a taxi arrived showing up or anyone coming in.

"Anyone home?" a voice was heard.

That must if been Dad because he noticed me sleeping on the couch. He smiled and came in to kiss my forehead. Ten minutes later, I was still feeling nauseous, so I got up to get water. I don't dare eat anything because I'm always afraid it would come back up. That's why I drink water when I'm like that. Dad noticed that I was getting water as he came down. I saw the shadow and turned surprised!

"Dad!" I smiled as I flung my arms around him to hug him.

"Hi, honey," smiled Dad.

"I can't believe you're home," I said happily. "I didn't hear you come home."

"Where is everyone else?" asked Dad.

"Meredith and Carlos are with their friends and Sharon & Dawn are with Granny and Pop-Pop for the afternoon," I replied.

"How come you didn't go?" asked Dad.

"I came down with a flu at around lunch time. I had a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit, a headache, and I was nauseous. They figured they'd be with Sharon's parents to let me rest," I explained. "That's why I was sleeping on the couch."

"Oh, okay," said Dad.

Ten minutes later, I was still nauseous even more as I drank some more water. When Dad felt my head, my fever was going up.

"Your fever's going up a bit," said Dad.

When he checked my temperature, it was 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Every time I cough, my headache gets worse. I was trying to sleep when the phone rang as I reached to grab the phone to answer it.

"Hello. Oh, hi, Sharon," I said. "I still got the flu. What do you mean the hurricane is on its way here?"

I groaned at that. We were going to have it for entire week. Oh, brother.

"So, you're staying there? Okay, I'll tell Dad. Yeah, he's here. I didn't hear him come home. He surprised me and I was glad to see him. Do you need to get your things here? Okay, bye," I said as I hung up. "That was Sharon. She called to say she and Dawn are staying with Granny and Pop-Pop because there's going to be a hurricane for a week, so they'll be there until it ends."

At least Dad is here safely and in time before the hurricane starts.

TBC


	2. Hurricane Ruby

That night, the fever and the nausea feeling _finally_ went away, but the headache was still at it. At least the flu was gone. The hot and cold feeling had disappeared, too. However, I was still coughing a bit, so I had been drinking water. I was getting another glass of water when the power went out- boy, did that frighten me- on the way to the kitchen. I almost bumped my head on the doorway. Luckily, I got a flashlight and turned it on. That was much better. I heard a noise as Tigger fled downstairs to me.

"What is it, Tigger?" I wanted to know. "I just need to find another flashlight for Dad."

That's what I did and unfortunately, the other one wasn't turning on. The battery was dead and it takes D batteries. I used mine to look for it and found one to replace the old one. Then. I turned it on to test it.

"Good. It works," I said as I went to give the flashlight to Dad. "I got you a flashlight."

"Thank you, honey," smiled Dad.

That was when Hurricane Ruby started and I got even more scared.

"Let's go down in the basement to be safe," Dad suggested.

"Good idea," I decided.

That's what we did taking Tigger who was shaking a bit. In the basement, I was freezing. Thank goodness I was wearing PJs the whole afternoon. Dad put his suit around me to warm me up.

"We can just sleep down here to stay away from the windows," suggested Dad as I agreed with him. "I'll just go put my PJs on."

He grabbed his flashlight to head upstairs to put his PJs on. Tigger was curling himself in a ball on my lap to keep himself warm. Dad came back down with his robe in case he needs it.

"You can wear my suit for now and I'll wear my robe," Dad told me.

"Sounds good," I agreed.

I was still coughing, so I had more water.

"It's too bad we don't have a fireplace down here. Especially for the nausel drip," I said.

"I know," agreed Dad. "What we can do until the power returns, we can have cold meat sandwiches for lunch and peanut butter sandwiches for dinner."

"Okay, fine by me," I smiled. "Could we have the hot chocolate as well?"

"That's a good idea," replied Dad.

Two and a half hours later, Dad brought down with the peanut butter sandwiches and I got the hot chocolate from him after I spotted him coming down.

"Thanks, honey," said Dad.

"No problem," I said.

After we ate, we played a couple of rounds of War. I won all three of them and I've teasing Dad about it.

"Goodness, Dad, did you get lost?" I teased, laughing a little.

At eleven, I was already sleeping on the couch. An hour later, I got so cold that I grabbed another blanket from the top of the couch to put the other one. I was glad I kept Dad's suit on, to keep the warmth in.

Two hours later, I woke up in the middle of this terrible dream I just had. I sat up and looked around realized nothing happen to us. In this dream, during the third day of Hurricane Ruby, Dad and I were playing another around of War when our roof collapsed on us when we were trying to escape. The next thing I knew, I woke up at the hospital twenty-four hours later. I spotted Sharon who was with me. I asked where Dad was and when she told me he was killed, I was crying.

Dad must have noticed I woke up terrified because he got up to sit with me while I was shaking.

"Are you okay, Mary Anne?" asked Dad.

I nodded and said, "I woke up from a bad dream, that's all."

"It'll be okay," said Dad comforting me.

I was still shaking while he tried to calm me down a bit. I was in tears and hugging him.

"It's going to be alright, sweetheart," said Dad.

The next day, that same horrible dream came back and this time I woke up shouting. Dad noticed that and went over to me as I hugged him while I was crying.

"It's okay, sweetie, you had another nightmare," said Dad stroking my hair.

I wasn't ready to tell him what was worrying me at the moment. I'm sensitive and I get upset very easily. Later, I was too tired to do anything at all. I fell asleep at around three and three hours later, that dream returned again. It is driving me crazy.

"Feeling better after you slept?" asked Dad noticing I was up as he came down with the peanut butter sandwiches.

"Just a little, that dream kept coming back," I replied.

"Is something bothering you, honey?" asked Dad.

I managed to tell him what was bugging me.

He just smiled and said, "There's nothing to worry about. Nothing's going to happen to us."

"I know, but these dreams just happened. I don't know why I get these weirdest dreams," I said.

"Everything will be okay, Mary Anne," said Dad taking my hand.

I smiled and hugged him. Leave that to him. I knew he was right about that. Did I feel better so far? The answer is yes.

At nine, Hurricane Ruby got worse and I got even colder as I got the blanket to wrap myself around with it while I was still wearing Dad's suit. I was trying to read with the flashlight when it went off. Bummer, right? Sure enough, the battery was dead. So did Dad's flashlight.

"The battery gave up on you, too?" I asked.

"It sure did," responded Dad. "Let's go change them."

That's what we did and came down- my flashlight was brighter, but I don't mind as long as it works. Two hours later, we went to bed. Tigger went under the blankets to keep himself warm. Thee and a half hours later, I heard a noise that got me up. It was a window that got broken by the hurricane and ducked under the blankets to avoid glass in my face. It was windy and I was freezing. I had an idea: I got up trying to block the shade with two or three push pins; one on each side. That blocked the wind- at least, it seemed to be working.


	3. The Hurricane Ends

My other best friend, Kayla Willis, got leukemia for the second time recently and I can't imagine losing her. She is very strong. Her wish was to join me and Cam and watch us to make our first music video together in Florida. She had a great time. Kaylee is scared about losing her twin.

In fact, I would wake up twice after I had those nightmares based on this terrible memory I had at the fair. See, she collapsed at a fair and I never attended any more of them to avoid bad memories being stuck in my mind. She got cancer right after that.

On Saturday, Hurricane Ruby finally ended, but we still had no power.

"When are we supposed to have power back?" I asked.

"Not until later this afternoon," replied Dad.

"Oh," I said. "At least the hurricane is finally over."

"I agree with you," said Dad.

"It's _so _tiring to have that all week," I added.

That afternoon, the power _finally _came back on. I noticed the street was flooded when Dad and I came back upstairs from the basement.

"Whoa, I bet Sharon, Dawn, Carlos, and Meredith are not coming back until the flood goes away," I said.

"I know," agreed Dad.

Later, I was watching TV when I noticed the sun was taking the flood off the streets- thank goodness. The flood didn't go away completely until later that evening.

"Good, the flood disappeared," I said in my thoughts.

The window repairers managed to replace the broken window from the basement. We already checked the others before that and they were all fine. They were done ten to fifteen minutes later. The window replacement cost $1,500, but luckily, no payments for a year. They'll send a notice when the year is up to pay and they left.

"Wow, that's a lot of money to replace," I said.

"I know," agreed Dad. "I'm glad there is no payment until next year."

We decided to order pizza from Papa Gino's for a change since we were tired of having sandwiches all this week. We ordered cheese pizza and garlic bread. They delivered it ten minutes later. We also decided to eat in the living room while watching a movie of _Cheaper by the Dozen_. In fact, they'll also be playing _Cheaper by the Dozen 2_. The first one had just started when I put it on.

I like Steve Martin, he's so funny. Imagine raising twelve kids on your own while a spouse is away? I'd be out of my mind. Thank god Logan and I decided to have four kids. He made me laugh so hard that I thought the lemonade was going to come out of my nose. Dad thought that was funny like always. Luckily, I just finished the first piece of pizza because I don't dare choke when I'm eating. That happened to me one time and didn't trust myself to do so again. Why? Because Logan told me a joke while I was eating over at his house and because of that, I laughed very hard and ended up choking. Mr. and Mrs. Bruno laughed at me! They were no help. I made Logan promised not to do that when I'm eating. I had three pieces of pizza so did Dad.

"We can save the last two for our snack later or our lunch tomorrow," said Dad.

"Sounds good," I smiled.


	4. The Meeting about the Music Awards

Dad and I were glad to be back in our own warm, cozy beds. The rest of the family was due to come home tomorrow. Sharon was going to pick Meredith and Carlos up on her way home. In the middle of the night, I was feeling nauseous as I got up and rushed to the bathroom as I started to vomit. Dad came in and comforted me.

"It's okay, honey, I'm here," said Dad while I was still throwing up.

I was like that almost all night-even when I was sleeping sitting up in bed-until four or four-thirty. I thought I wouldn't able to sleep at all. The next day, I was finally able to sleep. Sharon and the other kids came home at between one and one-thirty in the afternoon. They were all surprised to see Dad.

"Hi, Richard," said Sharon.

"Hi to you, too," smiled Dad.

"You must be glad to be back before that hurricane started," smiled my stepmother.

"I sure was,"said Dad.

That was when I came out and said, "Hi, everyone."

"Hi, how are you doing?" Sharon wanted to know.

"I was better until I came down with the stomach flu. I was throwing up all night and I thought I was never going to sleep until I finally did at four or four-thirty. Apart from that, I'm feeling a bit better," I replied.

"That's good," smiled Sharon.

I started throwing up again about thirty minutes later and was like that every ten minutes until later that night.

"Did she want anything? I can make soup if she wants any," said Sharon.

"I don't think so," said Dad. "She told me she doesn't trust her stomach. She just stopped throwing up, so she wants to rest for the night."

"Should I sleep in Carlos' room tonight?" asked Meredith.

"That would be a good idea," Dad decided.

The next day, I felt a lot better- thank goodness. It was raining again, but luckily, it was light and there was nothing to do. Worst of all, it was supposed to be like that all day long. I was saved from being bored when the limo arrived at two-forty-five.

"Cam's here, so I'll see you later," I said.

"Okay, bye, sweetie," said Sharon who was off today.

"Bye," I said grabbing my coat and headed out to the limo. "Hi, men."

Cam laughed and said, "Hi, Mary Anne."

"I'm so glad that the hurricane is over," I said. "And, it was a good thing that the music awards wasn't last week otherwise it would be cancelled."

"I agree," said Cam.

Our limo driver is Mr. Eric Hall. We started our first CD together after I won a sweepstakes as my grand prize. It was really fun doing it with Cam; it was like a dream come true. The music video that we recently made was called _The Climb_, which we'd be performing on the music awards. It was made at MGM in Florida and performed our songs from our CD at Epcot. I was famous; I was getting flowers, Cam and I signed autographs, and guess what? I get to be in a parade on a float singing _Angel_ which dedicated to Mom and anyone who lost their loved ones or friends. That was very exciting. When Cam and I learned we were nominated, I was thrilled. My family and friends were happy for me. It was due to air in October.

At the recording studios, our manager, Jennifer Vega, led us to the meeting room. In there, we sat at the table.

"As you both know, we'll be heading to New York City for the music awards next week. We'll be leaving Saturday and the music awards are next Wednesday. We're staying at the Plaza with the other music award nominees for free," began Jennifer. "We'll be coming back either next Thursday or Friday."

"Awesome," I said. "Who are invited in my family?"

"Either your father or your stepmother," replied Jennifer.

"Oh," I said. "You mean only one of them could go?"

"Yes," replied Jennifer.

I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping they'd go both, but I guess that was fine.

"However, Kayla can go along with us so she can watch you," said Jennifer.

"Oh, good, she's going to be excited about this," I said.

"You'll both be practicing for _The Climb_ this week," said Jennifer.

"Okay," said Cam.

"Do you know what time we'd be leaving?" I asked.

"The limo will be picking Mary Anne up on Saturday morning at nine," replied our manager. "Mr. Hall will be transporting us there and bring us back here."

"Okay, fine by me," I said.

"We'll go start practicing the song now. We can sing it once a day," said Jennifer.

Cam plays a guitar since he started singing more than three months ago before we met and started singing together. We went to the room where we practiced that song last time for the music video.

"I also have some news for Mary Anne. She'll be doing an opening performance singing _Angel_," said Jennifer.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," replied Jennifer.

"Neat," I said.

"You can practice that after this on your own," continued Jennifer.

"Okay," I said.

We did started practicing and I did quite well. No, I was more than good, I was great. Then, I did practice my opening performance on my own and I still did great. At four-thirty, we had ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner. Thirty minutes later, Mr. Hall dropped me off at Claudia's for the meeting as I thanked him and went inside. It was nearly five-fifteen when I arrived. At the meeting, we were extremely busy.

I told my friends about that I'll be gone for a week starting Saturday.

"So, you won't be here from Saturday to next Thursday?" asked Kristy.

"Either that or next Friday. The music awards are next Wednesday," I replied putting my name under the unavailable list.

"We can hardly wait to see the awards in October," said Claudia.

"Same here," said Stacey.

"And, you better let us know on how it went," ordered Dawn.

"Don't worry, I will," I promised while I was laughing. "We'll be at the Plaza for free."

"Wow," said Mallory.

"You're very lucky," said Jessi.

"I know I am. The limo will be coming for me at nine Saturday morning," I said. "And are you ready for the best? I get to do an opening performance singing _Angel_."

"That is so cool!" exclaimed Claudia.

"I was excited," I said. "Plus, Kayla would get invited to come along so she can watch me."

"Wow! She's going to be so thrilled about that," said Stacey.

"I know she will," I agreed.

"We should celebrate tomorrow," said Kristy.

"Okay. I'd have to be back home though. The limo gets me at two-forty-five," I told her.

"What we can do is we can meet each other at the mall for noon. We can have lunch, hang-out, and leave there at one-thirty to give you enough time to get ready," said Kristy.

"That sounds like a good plan to me," I said.


	5. More Performance Practicing

When I arrived home after the meeting, I set the table for Dad, Sharon, and the others since I eat early. Dawn and I cooked chicken with carrots, mashed potatoes, and gravy- regular or tofu flavor. Dad, Meredith, Carlos, and I prefer the regular gravy while Sharon and Dawn choose tofu flavor.

Dinner was ready by the time Dad came home from work. Meredith and Carlos came down to join us.

"Mom, it's time for dinner!" Dawn called to her mom.

"I'll be down in a sec," said Sharon from her room.

I was watching TV when I realized Dad had arrived home.

"Hi, Dad," I greeted him.

"Hi, honey, how was your day with Cam?" asked Dad.

"Good, we practiced for our performance," I replied.

"That's good," said Dad.

"I'll be leaving at nine Saturday morning," I continued. "And, Jennifer said I can invite you and Kayla to come along. We'll be in New York City until either next Thursday or Friday. The music awards are next Wednesday. We get to stay at the Plaza with the other music award nominees."

"Okay, I'll talk to Randy about it tomorrow," said Dad.

"Jennifer said if you can't, Sharon is the second choice. It only have to be one of you," I kept on.

"Alright," said Dad.

"And, I get to sing _Angel_ for an opening performance," I added.

"Good for you," said Sharon who came down.

"I'm happy for you," smiled Dad.

"Thanks. I was thrilled about it," I said.

"I bet," smiled my stepmother.

After dinner, I was in my room reading when Dad came up and said, "Want to go out for ice cream?"

"Sure," I replied.

"We can leave shortly," said Dad.

"Okay," I said.

We went to Friendly's for ice cream. I had vanilla ice cream while Dad had chocolate ice cream. After that, at home, I was in my nightgown at eight-fifteen. The next day, at the mall, I decided to get a nice dress for next Wednesday. If not, I can look through my closet. I found this nice yellow sundress with a flower on it that is a dark yellow. Perfect choice. I tried it on and it looked nice on me.

"That is _so_ perfect for the music awards," commented Stacey.

"I know," I agreed.

So, I got that for $20.99 and I had $30.00 and the change was $9.01. I got yellow party shoes, so I'll bring that with me as well. Later on, at the record studios, we continued practicing our songs and we were done by four-thirty. We had pizza from Pizza Hut. Later, at home, I noticed Dad was home early.

"Hi, Dad, you're early today," I said.

"I had a meeting today until three-fifteen, so I figured I'd leave work early," replied Dad.

"Oh," I said.

"I talked to Randy about taking a week off starting Saturday and he said I will go with you," continued Dad. "He's very happy for you."

"Sweet," I said as I hugged him happily.

"And, he might try to come to watch you at the awards. If not, he'll see you on TV when it airs," said Dad.

"Even more awesome," I smiled.

"I ordered Chinese and Sharon's picking it up on her way home. She's getting out of work right now," Dad told me. "Dawn already set the table and I reminded her not to set a place for you. She remembered."

"I had pizza from Pizza Hut anyway," I said.

"I'll be getting out of work a bit early on Friday to get ready to leave with you on Saturday," said Dad.

"Okay. The limo's doing the transportation," I told him.

"Alright. I haven't been in a limo since your mother and I got married," said Dad.

"Really?" I asked as he nodded. "You'll like the driver, Mr. Hall."

Ten minutes later, Sharon came home with Chinese.

"Kids, Chinese is here!" called Dad from the stairs.

Carlos, Meredith, and Dawn came down. After dinner and after we cleaned the kitchen, I continued my reading from the night before. At nine-forty-five, I went to bed because I was tired.

The next day, it was pouring again, but it stopped before noon. I was baby-sitting Jamie Newton and his baby sister, Lucy. I baby-sat from eleven thirty until two thirty, while their parents went to the movies.

After they came back almost ten minutes late due to traffic, I had to rush back home and I noticed the limo was there and told Dad-who was off-that I was leaving went in the limo.

"I just got back baby-sitting for the Newton kids. Their parents were stuck in traffic," I said.

"That was okay, your father told us you called to tell him you were running late. We came at two-forty," said Cam.

At the studios, we still practiced the songs including my opening performance on. I've been doing just fine. I feel like I'm ready for next Wednesday.


	6. New York City Trip Day!

On Friday morning, I got up with an upset stomach. Dad noticed I was pale.

"Are you feeling okay, sweetie? You look pale this morning," said Dad, as I came into the kitchen.

"My stomach is hurting me this morning," I replied with a wince. "Thank god we're not leaving until tomorrow."

"I know," agreed Dad. "Do you want anything for breakfast?"

"No thanks. I don't want to push it," I answered. "I'll just go lie down."

"Okay," said Dad.

He starts his vacation this afternoon, so he said he'd be getting out at between one and one-thirty.

"I'm going to bring Subway home for lunch on the way home," said Dad.

"Okay, can you just bring me home soup? It doesn't matter what kind do they have today," I told him.

"Sure, Mary Anne," said Dad as he kissed my forehead. "You're warm. I'll see you later on."

I slept for the day. Dad came home thirty to six minutes early. He was allowed to do so. I was still asleep when he got home from work with _Subway_ like he planned. He got me tomato soup. Honestly, I didn't know he was home until I got up at twelve-thirty.

"You're home an hour early," I said in surprise.

"Randy figured he'd let me out early to get ready for tomorrow," replied Dad. "Here's your tomato soup, honey."

"Thanks," I said.

"You look better than before," said Dad.

"A little bit, I still have an upset stomach, but I've been taking a few TUMS," I replied.

"That's good," said Dad.

At two-thirty, my stomach was starting to hurt even more, so I called Mr. Hall to tell him not to come for me today and told him why.

"No problem, see you tomorrow morning for nine," said the limo driver.

"Thanks, bye," I said as I hung up.

I felt nauseous then. That was when I fled upstairs to the bathroom and started throwing up. I was like that all afternoon until around five, so I'm glad I didn't go to the studios or the meeting in case I get sick at one of the places. Dawn didn't blame me, so she took over for me. Plus I didn't want to eat anything at all. Luckily, soup and water were the only ones that agreed with my stomach so far. I didn't eat any toast until dinnertime at seven. I ate that in bed. People say butter isn't good when you have a stomach flu, which I knew about that.

I went to bed an hour later so I can get better. I even slept sitting up in case I start throwing up again. In the middle of the night, I started throwing up again at one until three or three-thirty. The next day, I got up at seven. I was excited for one thing. Thank god I was better in time.

I showered and got dressed quietly so I won't wake anyone up. In fact, I did that in the basement bathroom since that was quiet enough. I brushed my teeth and hair down there. I had already put my suitcase near the living room chair. I was ready in fifteen to twenty minutes later. Dad wasn't up yet- it was nearly seven-thirty.

I stayed down there to watch some TV. At seven-fifty-five, I went up to the kitchen to get some breakfast. I was having cereal when Dad came down dressed.

"You're already up?" asked Dad as I nodded. "That was quick. How long you've been up?"

"I have been up since seven because I was so excited," I replied.

Kayla came ten minutes later.

"Hi!" exclaimed Kayla.

"Hi, isn't this very exciting that you get to join us so you can watch me?" I asked.

"Yes," replied Kayla.

She had no hair, so she wears bandanas.

At nine, the limo honked the horn.

"Dad, Kayla, the limo just arrived," I told him.

"Okay," said Dad and Kayla.

We got our suitcases and left to get to the limo. The others were still in bed.

"Hi, Cam," I greeted him.

"Hi," said Cam cheerfully.

"Hi, Mary Anne, honey," said Jennifer.

"Hi, Jen," I greeted her as well.

Mr. Hall came out to put the suitcases in the trunk.

"Have you met my dad yet?" I wanted to know.

"No," replied Mr. Hall.

"That's him, Mr. Richard Spier," I introduced.

"Nice to meet you," said Mr. Hall.

"Same here. You must be Eric Hall. Mary Anne told me all about you," said Dad.

"Yes," smiled Mr. Hall. "You can just call me Eric."

"Okay, you can call me either Richard or Richie," Dad told the limo driver.

"Deal," said Mr. Hall as I laughed softly. "Let's get to New York City now."

"Okay," I said.

I am so excited!


	7. Mary Anne and Cam Sing at the Park

In New York City, the limo was on its way to the Plaza when we got stuck in traffic all the sudden. That was when I noticed there was fire at an apartment. The police, fire truck, and ambulance were there.

"Wow," I said.

"We can go by, we need to take our time," said Mr. Hall.

"That apartment looks familiar to me," I said.

"Oh, my gosh!" exclaimed Kayla in a shocked tone. "That's my grandparents' apartment!"

That was when we spotted and waved to him. Ginnie died not long a gunman while Dad and I were here. We were about to run a BSC Camp. In fact, we were setting up to do so at the time. Honestly, I was terribly upset because she was like my second grandmother since she and Jeffrey enjoy having me at their apartment or when they visit Stoneybrook.

"May Kayla and I go see him for a moment?" I asked.

"Go ahead," replied Dad as we went out. "Jeff is Kayla's grandfather from her mother's side. He lost his wife when she was shot by a gunman while Mary Anne and I were here overnight."

"Hi, girls," said Jeffrey when he spotted us.

"Hi," said Kayla.

"How did this happen?" I asked.

"No one knows; the firefighters are going to investigate after the fire is out," replied Jeffrey.

That was when I looked around and noticed why.

"Why is that cigar is near that side near the basement window?" I asked. "I bet that's how the fire started."

Kayla noticed I was right about the cigar.

"Oh, you could be right," said Jeffrey.

Kayla and I went to the police to tell him what we found and brought him to show cigar to him.

"I'm glad you spotted that," said the police as he picked it up and blew it as he threw it out. "I'll let the firefighters know."

"People should be careful when they throw a cigar where it can cause fire," I said.

"I agree," said the police.

"It's safe to go back in now," said the fire fighter. "Nothing seemed to be damaged."

The police told the fire fighter what Kayla and I saw.

"Thank you," said the fire fighter.

Later, at the Plaza, we checked in and went in the room. Plazas are neat, it's like a suite. Eloise lived in it with a nanny who cared for her when the mother is away. Stacey even celebrated her fourth birthday there.

"This is so exciting," I said.

"I know," said Cam.

"I can't believe that the music awards is almost here," I said.

"Jennifer said we'll still be practicing," Cam told me.

"Okay," I said. "Which days are we doing that?"

"Once a day, every day starting this afternoon until Tuesday, we don't have to do that on Wednesday," replied Cam.

"Sounds good," I said.

"We'll be doing it at the Grand Central Park for the people," Jennifer said

"We can practice that way," said Cam.

"Okay. That sounds fun to do," I said.

Okay, I started to get nervous about that, but I knew I'd do fine since it was only two songs.

"Are we doing it only on afternoons?" I asked.

"Yes," replied Cam.

I started to feel nauseous just twenty minutes before we went downstairs for lunch. I don't feel nervous anymore, so I guess it just happens. You could say that we're not practicing until between one and two. So, that was a good thing. It's almost noon anyway.

"Are you feeling okay, Mary Anne?" asked Dad.

"I'm just feeling nauseous, that's all," I replied. "Thank goodness we're not practicing until between one and two."

"I know," said Dad.

I got a bottle of water so I could get rid of the nausea feeling. It sort of did before we left for lunch.

When we got to Pizza Gino's, I started to feel nauseous again. All I ordered was salad and water there.

"Are you all set now?" asked Dad.

"I'm starting to feel nauseous again, so I all I wanted was salad with water," I answered.

"Okay, that's fine, honey," said Dad.

Jennifer came up with our meals that just came out.

"Is this all you're having before you and Cam practice?" asked Jennifer.

"I don't want to push it. I was nauseous before we had lunch and it sort of went away, but I felt nauseous again when we got here," I told her.

"Oh, okay," said Jennifer.

Kayla and I were sitting together. Cam joined us.

After lunch, I had another bottle of water on the way out. We arrived at Central Grand Park at five of one. I could feel butterflies in my stomach.

I guess I did pretty well because everyone liked my singing voice. They happened to be the fans of Cam. I didn't even noticed I did just fine until afterwards.

Later, back at the Plaza, the nausea feeling didn't go away until later that night. Dad noticed I fell asleep on the couch.


	8. Jennifer Mentions about the Fair

On Tuesday, I still did great practicing at Grand Central Park. I haven't been nervous because I've been doing just fine so far. I'm trying to start forgetting Kayla, but I'm still missing her a _lot. _Later, at dinner, Jennifer mentioned that there will be a fair this weekend at the park, so we'll be going there Thursday.

The word-_fair-_upsets me because it was an awful memory for me because Kayla collapsed at one of those while I was here with the Willis family. I stopped going there because because od that horrible.

"Excuse me, Dad, may I go back to the room?" I asked.

"Go ahead, honey," replied Dad.

I got up and went back to the room with my own room key.

"Is she okay?" asked Cam.

"Uh-oh. I know why. Can you pay tonight, Jennifer?" asked Dad.

"Sure. Am I missing something here?" asked Jennifer who was puzzled.

"She had a tough time back when she was at a fair with the Willis family," said Dad as he explained about it. "Ever since that happened, she stopped going to any fairs to get rid of the memory. So, she gets upset when she hears the word from anyone in our family or someone else."

"I still go to them. Sometimes I miss Mary Anne when she doesn't attend to any fairs with my family. She would just refuse to do so to avoid the memory," said Kayla. "Kaylee forgot about it, but Mary Anne never did."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Jennifer.

"That's okay. You didn't know. She never liked talking about that memory much, that's why you didn't know about that," said Dad.

After he ate, he thanked Jennifer for paying and left to see how I was doing. In the room, I was on the window seat. I've been sleeping in there since the day after I fell asleep on the couch. Cam and Jennifer had the room across from me and Dad like we did last time when we were in Florida. A few minutes later, Dad came back.

"Mary Anne, honey," Dad's voice was heard and he came in.

I didn't notice he was there. I was facing the window with my arms around the pillow with my head buried. When he sat with me, he noticed I was crying.

"Are you okay now?" asked Dad rubbing my shirt to comfort me.

He got me as he puts my head against him putting my arms around him. That was when I was hugging him tightly.

"It'll be okay," said Dad. "Jennifer didn't know it upsets you because of what happened."

"Oh," I said.

"She understood that you don't mention that memory," continued Dad.

I didn't sleep much later that night. I didn't want that memory along with Kayla being stuck in my mind. I got up going over to Dad.

"It's late, honey, are you alright?" asked Dad after he noticed I was with him

"I couldn't sleep. I wish that memory doesn't bother me at all," I replied. "It's so hard to forget about it."

"I noticed you've been trying to do so," said Dad.

"Mind if I stay in here with you?" I asked.

"I don't mind at all," smiled Dad.

I was able to sleep much better for the rest of the night.


	9. The Music Awards

I do not own The Climb by Miley Cyrus

The next day, tonight would be the big night for the music awards.

"It feels funny that the music awards would be here tonight already," I said.

"I know," agreed Cam.

"I just hope I'd do okay," I said.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I know you will," smiled Cam.

"I hear people do speeches after receving their awards. That's the only thing I'm nervous about," I said.

"We'll be together anyway," said Cam.

"That's true," I agreed.

I felt better after that. At four, we had an early dinner. After we had supper, I started to get ready. The awards would begin at seven tonight and that's when I'd do my opening performance. I took a shower and put on that dress that I bought with my yellow shoes. Jennifer already told me and Cam we'd be getting our hair done in a small barbershop, which is downstairs.

"What would be my hairstyle?" I asked.

"You can have it done in any style you would like," replied Jennifer.

"Swell," I said.

"We'll go there after Cam is done getting ready," said Jennifer.

"Sounds good," I agreed.

"Also, you'd get your hair done for free since you're one of the nominees," continued Jennifer.

"That's cool. I like that idea," I smiled.

After Cam was ready, we went downstairs to the barbershop. At the barbershop, I decided to have my hair curled. I was all set after that. The limo arrived at around six-fifteen pm and brought me, Kayla, Dad, Cam, and Jennifer to the Radio City Music Hall, which was only 15 to 20 minutes away from the Plaza. When we got there, Cam and I get to meet the host, Darius Rucker. He took a picture of us. Cam headed inside while Darius started to ask me a question.

"Since this is your first time at the awards, how did you feel about being a nominee?" asked Darius.

"When I learned by my new manager, Jennifer Vegas, I was thrilled. I was in happy tears. I didn't know what to say and I was speechless," I replied.

"Congratulations and good luck. I'm looking forward to see you when it's time for your opening performance," said Darius. "How did you feel about that?"

"A little excited and nervous at the time, but I know I'd do just fine," I answered.

Then I headed inside to the backstage.

"I'll wait for you until after you're done with your opening performance," said Jennifer. "We'll be in the second row."

"Alright. When Cam and I would be performing?" I asked.

"We're scheduled for eight pm," replied Jennifer.

"Okay," I said.

At seven, Darius was on stage and announced, "Welcome to the 31st Annual Music Awards. Here comes our newcomer, Mary Anne Spier, as she does her opening performance of _Angels_."

I came out and did my performace. After that, everyone applauded as I bowed and went backstage as Jennifer and I headed to our seats.

"You were wonderful, sweetheart," said Dad.

"Thanks, Daddy," I said as I hugged him.

"You were awesome," commented Kayla.

"Thank you," I smiled.

"I told you that you'd be fine," said Cam as we laughed.

First presenters, Nick Carter of _The Backstreet Boys _and Fergie were at the microphone.

"First award catergory is for the best duets. Here are the nominees,_ I'll Always Be With You _by Cam Geary and Mary Anne Spier, _Moving On _by Rascal Flatts, _Wanna Be _by Spice Girls, and _Bye, Bye, Bye_ by N'Sync," announced Nick Carter.

"And, the award goes to...," said Fergie opening the envelope. "_I'll Always Be With You _by Cam Geary and Mary Anne Spier."

"Come on," said Cam.

He and I came up on the stage to receive the awards.

"I would like to give special thanks to my manager, Jennifer Vegas and my family who supported me," said Cam.

"I would also like to give thanks to my new manager, Jennifer, my family, and friends," I said.

We both won a couple more of awards. At seven-fifty-five pm, Cam and I were backstage to get ready to perform _The Climb_.

"Just try to relax and I know you can do it like you did earlier," said Cam.

"That's true," I said.

"Welcome back on stage for Mary Anne with Cam Geary joining to perform _The Climb_," announced Darius.

The certain went up as the song started.

"I can almost see it, that dream I'm dreaming, but there's a voice in my head saying you'll never reach it. Every step I'm taking, every move I make feels lost with no direction. My faith is shaking. But I, I gotta keep trying. Gotta keep my head held high," I sang.

"There's always gonna be another mountain. I always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna have an uphill battles. Sometimes you're gonna have to lose. Ain't about how fast I get there. Ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb," we sang as the song continued.

"The struggles I'm facing, the chances I'm taking. Sometimes might knock me down, but no, I'm not breaking. I may not know it, but these are the moments I'm gonna have to remember most, yeah, just gotta keep going. And I, I gotta be strong. Just keep pushing on. 'cause," I sang.

"There's always gonna be another mountain. I always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna have an uphill battles. Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose. Ain't about how fast I get there. Ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb," we sang as the song continued on.

"Yeah," I sang as it went lower. "There's always gonna be another mountain. I always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna have an uphill battles. Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose."

Then, it went higher.

"Ain't about how fast I get there. Ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb," we sang.

"It's all about, all about, the climb," I sang as the song ended.

The audience applauded as we bowed and headed back to our seats. I hear the nominees for the best new singer is at the end. Kelly Clarkson was at the microphone.

"This is the nominee is for the best female singer. And, the nominees are Carrie Underwood, Fergie, Mary Anne Spier, and Reba McEntire. The awards goes to," said Kelly opening the envelope. "It's a tie. Mary Anne Spier and Carrie Underwood."

I came up on the stage followed by Carrie Underwood as we got our awards.

"I want to give thanks to my manager, family and friends. Thank you, American Idol," said Carrie.

"I would like to thank everyone to support me and to give me the best night of my life that I would never forget," I said.

I congratulated Carrie as we got off the stage.

At the end, Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler came out with the final envelope. It was another tie: me and Jordin Sparks. We went on the stage.

"This is very exciting. I'm thanking to my new fans and my family, friends, & manager," said Jordin.

"I don't know what to say, but I'm really thrilled about this awards. I would never forget this for the rest of my life," I said.

I could hardly believe it! I had about eight awards. Poor Cam had six of them. He doesn't care at all. He was very happy for me.

"This was so exciting," I said.

Jordin came to me and said, "Congratulations on getting your music awards."

"Thanks. Same to you," I said.

"I got your CD; I loved your singing voice. You're super talented. You were great on stage," commented Jordin.

"Thank you," I smiled.

"May I have your autograph?" asked Jordin.

"Sure," I replied.

That's what I did. Cam did the same afterwards.

"Maybe we can hang out or something tomorrow. I would really like to get to know you," said Jordin.

"Oh, my gosh. Yes!" I exclaimed. "Are you at the Plaza, too?"

"I sure am," replied Jordin.

"Perfect. I love that idea," I said.

"You're the luckiest person in the world," said Cam.

"So are you," I smiled.

"I agree," said Jordin.

At the plaza, I was still thrilled.

"Jordin was interested with my singing voice," I said.

"I bet," smiled Dad. "I'm very happy for you, my music star."

I laughed at that and said, "Thanks, Daddy."

"It's very hard to believe that you're growing up. It's just like yesterday that you were starting middle school and now, you'll be entering high school," said Dad.

I smiled and hugged him happily.


	10. Mary Anne's Perfect Day

The next day, Jordin invited all four of us to have breakfast with her.

"Maybe Mary Anne can be with Jordin while the rest of us go to the fair," whispered Jennifer.

"That'd be a better idea. I'll let her know later," said Dad.

We went to the buffet. Jordin and I both had eggs, bacon, and toast. After breakfast, Dad came to me and told me what was going on and added I was going to be with Jordin. Thank god avoiding the fair keeps the memory out of my mind's been working.

"What time are you leaving?" I asked.

"Shortly. We'll be back at between nine and nine-thirty tonight," replied Dad. "Kayla is coming with us to the fair."

"Okay. Jordin's in the gift shop. I told her I'd meet her there," I said.

"Go ahead, hon, we just need to go back to the room first anyway," said Dad. "Jordin is welcome to stay overnight with us or you can stay with her."

"Sounds good," I said.

I left for the gift shop to join Jordin.

"I like the gift shop," said Jordin.

"I just love it myself. I always stay here when I visit New York City. It's the best place and exciting," I said.

"I agree," smiled Jordin. "I've been here, but not the plaza."

"One of my friends was born here and came here for her fourth birthday," I said.

"That's so cool," said Jordin.

"I know," I agreed. "How did you get into music?"

"I was on _American Idol_ and won," replied Jordin.

"I think I remember seeing you perform on there the entire season. You were terrific," I said.

"Thanks," said Jordin.

"How did you like being the new singer?" I asked.

"I love it," replied Jordin. "What about you?"

"Cam was doing the sweepstakes. I was at the mall with my father when I spotted Cam at FYE. He told me I won the grandprize and I had a free autographed CD, having dinner, and most of all, record CDs with him," I explained.

"Wow!" exclaimed Jordin in her amazed voice.

"I know. I couldn't believe it. I felt I was on cloud nine," I said.

Dad came by and said, "We're leaving now. Have a fun time, sweetie."

"Bye, Dad," I said.

"Where were they heading to?" asked Jordin.

"They were going to the fair at Grand Central Park and I didn't want to go," I answered.

"How come?" asked Jordin.

"I had this one horrible memory at one of them here. See, I had a best friend named Kaylee Willis. She grew up here before moving to Stoneybrook just three houses down from me. She has an identical twin sister, Kaylee, who is also my best friend. They're two of eight children. They're African-American. They would invite me to spend every other weekend to come here to visit here," I began.

"That sounds nice," said Jordin.

"I still do every now and then. Kayla collapsed and got rushed to the hospital. It was her appendix and then, the doctor added there was something else wrong with her. I got very upset. It was the worst day of my life. Ever since that happened, I choose not to go any more fairs to get rid of that memory," I explained.

"Oh, that's horrible," said Jordin.

"I barely talk about it because I get upset," I added.

"What happen to her afterwards?" asked Jordin.

"Well, just after she and I became best friends, I noticed she looked very tired and told me she had a lump in her throat. Later, I found out it was leukemia," I continued.

"That doesn't sound too good," said Jordin.

"Luckily, she won that battle because my other friends and I did a fundraiser and raised over $300. I was glad she lived at that time," I added on.

"Good," said Jordin as we went to sit on a bench out there.

"Then, a week after that memory, she got worse and her family had to leave to come here right away. The only one who didn't go was Kaylee because she was much too worried about her sister and best friend, so she stayed with me. A few days later, Kayla returned with bad news: her leukemia came back. We did everything to keep her alive. She was with me when Cam and I did a music video of _The Climb_. She's very strong, she's here to watch me at the music awards," I continued.

"That's good," said Jordin.

"I'm just concerned about losing Kayla. She's my best friend," I said.

Later, we did everything like we did shopping. At _Macy's_, I saw Jeffrey.

"Hi, Jeffrey," I said.

"Hi, sweetie, what's up?" asked Jeffrey. "How was the music awards last night?"

"I won eight awards," I replied.

"Wow! Terrific job," said Jeffrey.

"Thanks," I smiled. "I'm here with my new friend."

"Hello," said Jordin.

"Are you Jordin Sparks? The one who won on _American Idol_?" asked Jeffrey.

"I sure am," answered Jordin.

"This is Kayla's grandfather, Jeffrey Tillis, Mrs. Willis' father," I said.

"Nice to meet you," said Jordin.

"I can't believe I'm meeting the winner of _American Idol_," said Jeffrey.

"True. Is there Mrs. Tillis I can meet?" asked Jordin.

"No. I'm a widower," replied Jeffrey.

"Ginnie recently got killed by a gunman at the plaza while my dad and I were visiting there overnight," I told her.

"That's a shame," said Jordin.

"She enjoyed watching you on_ American Idol_ as well," said Jeffrey.

"Mind if we join you here for awhile?" I asked.

"I don't mind, I always enjoy your company," smiled Jeffrey.

After we shopped at _Macy's_, Jordin and I went on a tour bus, we ate at_ Bubba Gump_, went to _Borders_; which is next door to the train station, and so on. We had a terrific day together. It's fun to get to know each other as new singers. That night, we were back at the plaza for supper.

"Dad said you can either stay overnight with me or I can stay with you," I said.

"Sounds good. You can meet my mom first. She's dying to meet you. She loved your voice," said Jordin. "She was at the awards last night and said you were terrific."

"Okay," I agreed.

We went to meet her mother after dinner. She even shrieked when she met me and wanted me to sign my autograph. Later, Jordin had decided to stay with me for the night. Kayla, Dad, Jennifer, and Cam came back about an hour or two later. Let's just say Dad can be a bit excited. He was telling me how fun he had. Poor Cam and Jennifer wanted to tell me how fun they had, too. I told them I had a fun day as well.

Jordin and I went to bed at midnight. The next day, I was dressed and was on the steps near the lobby waiting for the limo to arrive. Cam was with me. Dad and Jennifer were checking out. The limo came for us ten minutes later. Back in Stoneybrook, at home, I unpacked my suitcase and put it away. I also put all my awards on my shelf. The next day, at the meeting, I told the girls everything. They couldn't believe I won eight awards and were thrilled for me.

"I even made friends with Jordin Sparks the _American Idol _winner," I said.

"No way! You are so lucky," said Claudia.

"I know," I agreed.

"What we should do is celebrate," said Kristy.

"I agree," I smiled.

"Like having a slumber party," said Stacey.

"Along with the pizza party," added Claud.

"I like those ideas," I said.

"So do I. Let's do that Wednesday night at my house after the meeting," said Kristy.

We all agreed with the plan. That's what we did that night and had a fun time.

"Cheers to Mary Anne the music award winner," said Kristy after the pizza arrived.

"Cheers," said the rest.

We laughed.

"I can't wait for it to be aired so we can see it ourselves," said Jessi.

"Me either," said Claudia.

THE END


End file.
